Lenovo ThinkPad T450s Broadwell Preview

[phoronix]

Phoronix: Lenovo ThinkPad T450s Broadwell Preview

This is a "first impression" review. I've had the system in my hands for all of about twenty-four hours and am still exploring and forming more solid opinions. Also any problems I had likely do have solutions, but as I said: less than forty-eight hours of ownership so I haven't had a chance to. Linux-centric system review will follow this weekend / next week.

http://www.phoronix.com/vr.php?view=21617

[Nille_kungen]

Brings back memories to my beloved T60, i never been so pleased with an laptop as i was with that one, i had the one with the AMD GPU.
Maybe i should check out the new thinkpads next time i get myself a new laptop.

[carewolf]

Of course it only have two cores at maximum. It is the ultrabook broadwell CPUs since Intel hasn't released any other yet.

[rdnetto]

I've had my T440p for a few years now, which is basically the same design but with better (albeit Haswell-era) specs and the mouse design we do not speak of. It's basically in the same condition it was when new, except for some minor scuff marks around the edges of the base cover which seem to be from rubbing against the lid. It looks like that'll be an issue with this model too, since the chassis are identical.

The only other issue I have with it is the lack of a light sensor. It's a really cheap part to add (probably costs cents in bulk, compared to the fingerprint reader that was $20 to consumers), but it allow the screen brightness to be automatically adjusted. I hacked something together with a Python script and the camera, but it can't operate continuously because the computational cost of image processing would lower the battery life.

Something else worth noting is that they seem to have missed their opportunity to add a USB Type-C socket, but then I suppose they also still have the VGA socket, so they're clearly catering towards business users who have to deal with older peripherals more than new ones.

[Drago]

Owner of T430s here. Want to say that mine laptop design is the most appealing to me. It doesn't have all the drawbacks expressed in the article and more. I don't know why lenovo didn't use the same box, and just swap the CPUs inside.
1. It has 2 SODIMM slots. I am using 16GB right now.
2. It has dedicated openings for HDD and RAM/mSata. HDD tray is opened by just 1 screw. RAM/mSata by 2 screws. Replaced the HDD, added RAM and mSata SSD, never needed to unscrew the whole bottom.
3. The display holder( I don't know how it is in English ), is old style. Most of the ports are on the back of the laptop, and It has air intake opening on the back too. I can safely put it on the bed sheets, without fear overheating.
4. It has WiFi and HDD leds. HDD led is extremely usefull to me.
5. It has dedicated speakers mute/mic mute/vol up/vol down buttons. Again extremely useful for skype users.

If I were to buy laptop again, I would search for some old T430s.

[DeepDayze]

Brings back memories to my beloved T60, i never been so pleased with an laptop as i was with that one, i had the one with the AMD GPU.
Maybe i should check out the new thinkpads next time i get myself a new laptop.

The T60's a good laptop as I've had one till I gave it to my brother, and it even was serviceable for my brother's needs.

I have a T23, a T42 and an SL510...all good machines. Lenovo's build quality has seemed to decline some lately though IMO.

[danielnez1]

The T60's a good laptop as I've had one till I gave it to my brother, and it even was serviceable for my brother's needs.

I have a T23, a T42 and an SL510...all good machines. Lenovo's build quality has seemed to decline some lately though IMO.

I agree, the decline in build quality between my T61 and X230 is noticeable, but IMO the same can be said with most laptop brands. The biggest issue I have with Lenovo is the whole Superfish affair. While the Thinkpad line seems to have been spared this, it does make wonder what other skeletons they have in their closet. I was going to wait for the T450p, given the revelations, and the desire for a new 14" FHD laptop, but I've decided to go for a HP Elitebook 840 G2.

[Benjamin_L]

The only other issue I have with it is the lack of a light sensor. It's a really cheap part to add (probably costs cents in bulk, compared to the fingerprint reader that was $20 to consumers), but it allow the screen brightness to be automatically adjusted. I hacked something together with a Python script and the camera, but it can't operate continuously because the computational cost of image processing would lower the battery life.

Maybe try ALS by hughsie?

https://blogs.gnome.org/hughsie/2015/03/17/introducing-colorhug-als/

[Kayden]

Hey Eric,

When you do run Linux on it, you'll want to use the latest 4.0rc kernel. Otherwise, the trackpoint's physical buttons likely won't work right. (On my X250, they performed Left Click, Nothing, Middle Click.) Ah, the joys of new hardware

[rdnetto]

Maybe try ALS by hughsie?
https://blogs.gnome.org/hughsie/2015...-colorhug-als/

I consider the ALS too bulky - it would stick out by about 1cm, and put a lot of stress on the USB socket as I keep my laptop in a tight fitting sleeve.
My webcam+Python hack works well enough that I'm not looking for an alternative, I just wish Lenovo would add that feature given that it's so cheap and useful.